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The unlived life is worth examining: nothings and nobodies behind the scenes
This paper explores how people talk about the things that have not happened in their lives. I argue that we can perform reverse biographical identity work upon our unmade selves by exploring the meanings of unlived, non-experience. Challenging one's own rehearsed life story is an act of narrative self-transgression, involving negative responsibility assumption. Drawing on my symbolic interactionist theory of “nothing,” I consider how negative social phenomena (no-things, no-bodies, and non-events) are interactively accomplished and retrospectively made sense of in personal accounts. Themes of lost opportunities, silence, invisibility, and emptiness emerge from an analysis of twenty-seven stories. These tales reveal a mixture of emotions: not only sadness, stigma, shame, and regret, but also relief, pride, acceptance, and gratitude. Narratives of nothing are often ambivalent in tone, reflecting the complexity of storied life behind the scenes.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Symbolic InteractionISSN
0195-6086Publisher
WileyExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
43Page range
156-180Department affiliated with
- Sociology and Criminology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2019-09-18First Open Access (FOA) Date
2021-08-27First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2019-09-18Usage metrics
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